Cyprus' Story
by Ramenlord
Summary: A Ditto named Cyprus and a girl named Julie set off on a regular Pokemon adventure with Julie's boyfriend, unaware that events are soon to change their lives forever. Rated M for sexual implications, some violence, and occasional harsh language.
1. Prologue A Day in the Woods

A/N: So, here's my first story. Or my first story's prologue. Anyways, the point of view/tense is a little odd, but that's only because I wrote it that way specifically for the prologue for stylistic effect, the rest of the story will be in regular 3rd person POV. Also, I'm sorry its so incredibly short, the rest of the chapters will be much longer. Also, as you probably are expecting me to say, please review my story. Point out things you like/dislike, as the only way I can get better is if people tell me how. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any part of it. Too bad, so sad. I do own my original characters, however. Of course, you've probably seen this same type of disclaimer everywhere, and didn't actually read it.

Prologue – A Day in the Woods

A girl walks through the forest, humming to herself. As she walks, she looks off to the side of the path. She sees a clearing off in the forest, and she enters it. Looking around she spots a small pink blob sleeping on a tree branch, and she walks over to it, intrigued. It wakes up at the sound of her approach and jumps, and then flattens itself down onto the branch, peering at her with a pair of small, beady black eyes.

She giggles, saying, "Don't be frightened. I won't hurt you." The Ditto pauses, looking up at her kind face, then leans forward and smiles at her before transforming into a Pidgey and hopping up onto her shoulder, where he transforms back into a Ditto. She giggles again, and says, "Hey lets be friends." She looks down at him and grins, saying, "I'll call you Cyprus."

Cyprus smiles.


	2. Chapter 1 A Voyage

A/N: Alright, so here's chapter 1. Review to tell me what you think. Also, note that this chapter is still pretty short, I'm gonna try to make the rest of the chapters at least 1000 words. As far as updates go, I'm going to try and update at least every week, but I'll probably do it sooner. Just don't hold me to that. In short, the chapters will go up when they get done. And chapter 2 is really almost done, and I actually have the story planned out really far ahead, so I'll probably be posting rather quickly. Also, in case you couldn't tell, this story takes place in a new region that I made, and I'm really not that good at making up names, so thats why some of the place names aren't very good.

Disclaimer: See prologue.

Chapter 1- A Voyage

_6 years later._

Cyprus yawned and blinked sleepily. He looked around the room and up at Julie where she was sleeping on her bed. He sighed. It had been six years since their chance encounter in the forest clearing, and she was now sixteen. As he watched, she shifted, and opened her eyes drowsily. She looked down at him on the floor by the bed and smiled, saying, "Good morning Cyprus." She yawned and stretched, then reached down toward him with her arm. Cyprus smiled and moved forward and climbed up her arm to his usual perch on her shoulder. With a casual movement, he flicked back her currently tangled long brown hair to get a better look at her face. She had deep green eyes that pointed upwards slightly at the ends, giving her a constant, slightly mirthful expression. She had a shapely nose, unmarred skin, and an expressive mouth that often gave away her feelings, if one knew what to look for. She glanced over at Cyprus and smiled, and he smiled back, suppressing an urge to sigh. He had a deep-rooted crush on his friend. It had started back on that day in the clearing, where something in her face had made him pause, stopped him from transforming into a Pidgey and flying away. As their friendship had grown, so had something else, something deeper. The trouble was, Cyprus knew he didn't have a chance. He knew she felt nothing near that for him, and he didn't want to ruin their perfect friendship by letting her know. Not to mention she had a boyfriend.

A boyfriend!

He jumped and glanced down at Julie's backpack on the table, ready to travel, and remembered what was going on today. Julie laughed and glanced at him good-humoredly, asking, "What? Did you forget about our leaving today?" He gave her a sheepish grin and she laughed again. She had a truly beautiful laugh, pure and sweet, just loud enough to be heard, but soft enough to be vague, making you wish to hear it again, just to be sure of its beauty. "Well, you'd better remember now, we have to meet Mike in an hour." She set him down on the table and began scurrying around the small house, tidying up and running her fingers through her messy hair to straighten it.

Cyprus looked around at the house, feeling regret that they were leaving. They had some good memories here. Bad ones too. Julie's mother had died in childbirth, and her father had died slightly after Cyprus had met her: poisoned by a young Ekans. Julie had been forced to fend for herself, but luckily, she had been quick to adapt, and got a job at the town nearby, Shadehome village. Then, about a week back, a trainer came into town by the name of Mike. This was not unusual; trainers often passed through Shadehome on their way to and from the aptly named town of Exodus, where starter Pokémon were given out and many trainers started their journeys; Shadehome being the only place of civilization in the Shadowmold forest which was one of the only two ways to get to Exodus, the other being a difficult and dangerous trek over the mountains, which were filled with high-leveled Pokémon. Mike had been on his way to get his first Pokémon and had stopped in Shadehome to buy supplies. He had headed to the Pokémart to get some things for his soon to be Pokémon, where he had met Julie. The two had gotten talking, and Mike had asked her out on a date. She had accepted, and when Mike finally headed on to Exodus, it was with a kiss and a promise that he would come back to Shadehome. He had, and yesterday, Julie had decided she wanted to go with him as he traveled throughout Aloysia collecting badges for the tournament. She had asked Cyprus if he wanted to come, and he had, of course, accepted; anything to be close to Julie. And so here they were. He looked over at his friend, and saw her sitting at the table, staring at him. He realized that he must have been staring off into space as he thought, and he blushed slightly, and shifted over to Julie, who was smiling. "So, you've decided to rejoin the living? Then we'd better get going." Cyprus crawled up onto her shoulder and smiled at her as they headed off toward Shadehome and the future.


	3. Chapter 2 Mike

A/N: Alright, so here's chapter 2. This one's a bit longer than chapter 1, so that's good. Also, the story may seem a bit dull at the moment, but it'll pick up in either chapter 3, 4, or 5. As before, please review.

Disclaimer: See prologue

Chapter 2- Mike

As they walked through the forest, they paused and looked off the path into a small, familiar clearing. Julie smiled, and bowed her head in thanks, and Cyprus imitated her. It was a ritual that they performed every time they passed the place the two had met, and even though they were in a hurry, it was hard to break tradition. They continued on and entered Shadehome village. Cyprus looked around at the little town. It really was very small. There were only 50 or so permanent residents, since most people didn't want to live in the middle of a dark forest. Cyprus turned his attention back to Julie as she let out a small, "oh!" and ran towards a brown-haired boy standing outside the Pokémart, smiling at them and waving. Mike kissed Julie hello, then turned to Cyprus and raised a hand. Cyprus smiled and reached out an arm to give him a high-five. He had to admit, no matter how jealous he was of Mike, he was a cool guy. Tall, with short, brown hair and compassionate brown eyes, he was definitely good-looking. In, addition, he was kind, smart, and treated everyone with respect, including Pokémon, whom he treated as his equals, if not his superiors. As well, not even his terrible battling skill could persuade him that he couldn't become the league champion, and he more than made up for it with perseverance and patience, with a kind of dedication you couldn't help but admire. In short, he was practically perfect. Which of course made it easier to be jealous of him.

Cyprus' train of thought was broken when Mike's Skarmory, Ricko, let out a grating cry, saying, "Well? Are we gonna leave or not?" Mike glanced over a him, and said, "Yeah, we're going. Hold your Rapidash." Julie laughed when she realized what was going on, not speaking Pokémon as Mike had learned to, and the four of them set off out of Shadehome, traveling to the North, towards the deepest part of the forest.

As they walked through the forest, Mike and Julie chatted, while Ricko alternated flying far ahead of the group and flying back to badger them impatiently. Cyprus smiled at his antics. Ricko was outgoing, friendly, and not afraid to state his opinion, but he had a tendency to be somewhat impatient. Eventually, Cyprus got bored of listening to Julie and Mike's endearments, and he focused on the forest around them. Soon he realized there was a Pidgey sitting in the foliage, staring at him. It smiled seductively, and winked at him, gesturing with its head back to where its nest was undoubtedly hidden. With some difficulty, he ignored it, turning his gaze back onto the path. A few years ago, he would have accepted that invitation without a thought, just as he had accepted many others, from many types and genders of Pokémon. After all, it was his nature. Like his sister always said, "The thing Ditto do best is mating." She saw it as their purpose in life, to help save other species from extinction, and to help out those unfortunate enough to be alone to send on their genes. And beyond that, Ditto live for new experiences, changing into all different kinds of Pokémon, and even changing genders so that no one but another Ditto could guess their true gender. In fact, most people and Pokémon thought them to be genderless, a myth that was supported whole-heartedly by the Ditto community, as it allowed for more mating opportunities. Not to mention it didn't really matter what gender a Ditto was, as they reproduced asexually, splitting into two, genetically identical "siblings," one male and one female. And Cyprus had agreed with his "sister," had mated with hundreds of Pokémon without a second thought, laid dozens of eggs…

…Until he had met Julie. He hadn't mated with another Pokémon since then, first because Julie took up all his spare time, then out of a growing sense of loyalty to her. He didn't really know why he bothered. He wasn't likely to be mating with Julie any time soon, and he couldn't turn into a human to mate with her even if she wanted to. No Ditto could. Of course, he had tried, but he only managed a somewhat human-shaped blob before it collapsed, changing him back into a shapeless blob. He sighed. The lack of mating was getting to him. Then he noticed that Mike and Julie had stopped talking and were looking at him, puzzled by his sudden noise. Hastily, he came up with an explanation and yawned loudly, making his face look tired.

Julie laughed, and said, "What, you're tired? You're not the one walking through the forest with a lazy blob on your shoulder, are you?"

Mike grinned at them, then said, "Yeah, but I think he has the right idea. I'm beat, and besides, its getting dark and we're not even halfway to Slatehead town. How about we set up camp?"

The others agreed, and they set up two tents, one for the humans and one for Ricko. Cyprus chose to sleep outside. The others entered their tents, and Cyprus sat outside, waiting for sleep to come, but it was elusive. He missed the presence of Julie at his side, and eventually he gave up, and decided to enter her tent and sleep in there. He flattened himself to the ground and squeezed under the tent flap. And stopped.

Inside, Julie and Mike were kissing passionately, fervently, as if nothing else in the world mattered at that moment than exchanging as much saliva as possible. Cyprus started to shake uncontrollably as an immense anger built up inside of him. He backed slowly outside, and sat, frozen on the ground, his emotions in turmoil. Part of him, the savage, wild part, told him to transform into the largest, most savage Pokémon he had seen, and to rip Mike apart limb from limb, and claim Julie as his own. The other, more logical, part of him told him that it didn't matter, it was Julie's choice whom she wanted, and it really wasn't his business. Eventually, and with difficulty, this side won out, and he calmed down enough to stop his frantic twitching. At the same time, something broke inside him, and he transformed into a Pidgey, flying off into the forest randomly. He couldn't stay here, he needed to leave, at least for a while. Eventually, an idea came into his head, and he changed his flight path. He figured he could find the Pidgey he had seen earlier, satisfy their mutual need, and be back before morning. As of now, his pact restricting mating was over.


	4. Chapter 3 Fame and Fortune

A/N: Alright, here's the third chapter. Sorry it took so long, it seems I underestimated how long it takes me to write. Also, I'm really not too happy with the quality of my fist few chapters, so I'm going to try and make an effort to make the rest of the chapters better. In some more exciting news, I'm finally near the end of the exposition, and next chapter will have something important happen! Hooray!

As I've said before, please review. I know my writing isn't that good, but the only way I can improve is if **someone** reviews me. Say what you hate, what you like, whatever. Just **say something!** Thx.﻿﻿

Disclaimer: See prologue

Chapter 3- Fame and Fortune

_3 months later_

Cyprus stretched and sighed, relaxing on the couch. He was currently in the living room of the best hotel room money could buy in the beachside town of Garsheen, and he was loving every minute of it. He sighed happily again, and reached lazily over to grab a bowl of chopped Pinap berries, which he ate hungrily. It sure was nice living with someone rich.

He glanced down at a newspaper lying on the floor, and chuckled at the title: "One-Pokémon Wonder Wins Again!" Underneath it was a picture of Mike and Ricko, smiling and holding up a belt with three shining gym badges on it. Cyprus grinned as he thought back those many weeks ago, back to when Mike had just started his journey. They had arrived at Slatehead and challenged the gym there. Mike had lost soundly, and, rather than giving up, had turned around and marched right back into the forest, where dedication and hard training for a week in Shadowmold had transformed his enthusiasm into talent and experience. Then he had returned to the gym. The gym leader, Ashton, a user of steel-type Pokémon, had recognized him from before, and asked him still had only had one Pokémon. Ashton had been surprised when Mike had said he wanted a one-on-six match, and astounded when Mike had won. The media caught a hold of the story, and the nest day he was on the front page of the news, jokingly called "the One-Pokémon Wonder." The nickname stuck after he had gone on to defeat the second gym using only Ricko against the gym leader's team of six, and, even more impressively, when, here in Garsheen, he had beaten the fire-type gym, and impressively so, with Ricko barely dodging his Ninetales' Fire Blast to finish the match with a final Night Slash. The newspaper had interviewed them frequently, and yesterday they had received compensation in the form of four tickets to a luxury cruise up north to Orthos, one of the small Renek islands and a popular tourist spot.

Cyprus turned to look at the ticket envelope on the table. Their cruise was leaving today, at noon, so they would probably have to leave pretty soon. They would be at the island by 4:00 PM, and they would be staying on the island for a few days before their ship would take them even further north to the much larger Lairen Island, not part of the Renek chain, where Mike could get another badge at the gym there. After that, they planned to fly east, back to the mainland, where they would land on the very westernmost edge of Shadowmold forest, and they could head home for a brief rest.

Just then, Ricko walked into the adjoining kitchen, his sharp talons clicking against the tile floor. He looked over at Cyprus and smiled, calling out, "Hey."

"Hey," replied Cyprus, and Ricko, grinning, came over and sat down on the sofa next to him, asking, "So, you excited for the cruise? I know I am."

"Yeah."

"You don't talk much." Cyprus shrugged. "And you don't talk at all around Mike or Julie. Mike can understand you, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just got used to staying silent when I was living with Julie, and it feels kinda weird having someone to talk to."

"Oh. Well, I'd better go get Mike and Julie to hurry up so we're not late. Those two have a tendency to get lost in each other's eyes otherwise."

Ricko grinned again, and Cyprus was glad the Skarmory turned away quickly so he didn't see how forced his own smile was. He still hadn't been able to get over Julie, and he didn't want to have to explain to Ricko. If anything, his attraction to her had only deepened as he saw her laughing and joking with Mike and Ricko. Ah well. At least he was mating again. Ever since his truce had been broken, he had taken to sneaking out at nigh to find a lonely Rattata or Growlithe, once even a Wingull. He grinned, remembering. He'd have to tell his sister about that one once they got home. He looked up as Ricko reentered the room, followed by Mike and Julie, both of whom looked slightly grumpy. Apparently Ricko had been right. As they neared the table and Mike picked up the envelope, however, Mike's face returned to its usual, cheerful self, and he called out, "Alright, we'd better get going, as Ricko so… dutifully reminded me." So he and Julie readied their things, Cyprus climbed up onto Julie's shoulder, and they set off.

As they exited the hotel, Cyprus blinked in the sudden bright sunlight reflecting off of the ocean. The group started down the crowded road, people stopping to turn and stare as they passed, mostly at Mike and Ricko, "The One-Pokémon Wonder" and his amazing Skarmory. Mike shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny, muttering, "Jeez, I'll never get used to so many people staring at me."

Julie laughed and replied, "Don't worry. I'm sure it's just because you're so gorgeous," and she kissed him, causing a few people to look away in embarrassment. Even so, Mike kept glancing nervously around, and he relaxed visibly when they reached the much less populated docks.

It didn't take long for them to find the right ship. It was down near the end of the dock, next to a large banner with the name of the cruise, "Tropical Voyage," on it. The ship itself was pretty large, although by no means the largest on the dock. 400 feet long and with a capacity for 500 passengers, the sleek vessel was one nice ship. Getting on was no problem, they just showed their tickets to the rather surprised pair if sailors letting people onto the ship and taking luggage. They went up onto the main deck, then down a staircase to the living quarters, attracting more than a few shocked or astounded looks as they went. They split up when they reached their pair of rooms, Mike and Ricko to one room, Julie and Cyprus to the other, and the boat slowly pulled away from the shore and started to pick up speed.


	5. Chapter 4 The Island

A/N: Hi. I have finally finished chapter four, sorry for the long wait, but I've been kinda busy and not really feeling the inspiration to write lately. Luckily, tonight I felt a sudden desire to finish it, and it actually turned out rather long, at least for me, which is good. I actually intended to make it longer, but, as it was already kinda long, and it seemed like a good place to end it, so I decided to put the part I intended to put here at the beginning of the next chapter, which ought to work out pretty well.

On a separate note, I have updated my profile. It is now more informational about who I actually am, albeit rather more depressing, and there is a poll there about what I should write next, which I encourage you to vote in. Aside from that, I have added an updates section that will tell you how far I am on the next chapter, and new story ideas I'm starting, etc. Check it out.

To DelinquentDuo, thanks for reviewing! It's nice to know I have someone who cares enough about my story to take the time to say something about it.

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

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Now, without further ado, I give you:

Chapter 4- The Island

The trip passed rather quickly. Mike was challenged to a few battles, but most of the passengers were inexperienced, so he had no trouble wiping the floor with them. Eventually, the captain's voice rang out through the intercom. "Attention! This is your captain speaking. We have arrived at Orthos. Feel free to leave the ship, and make sure to stop by the visitor's center once you get off."

Excited, the group ran out of their rooms and rushed up on deck to join the throng milling about for their turn to leave the ship. Eventually they managed to reach the front of the crowd to where a sailor was standing with a list of all the passengers to make sure everyone got off so they could leave. As they approached him, he said, "Ah, Mike. Party of four. Well, glad to have you on board. You may go," and he checked off a box on his list. They stepped around him, and stopped, awestruck, as the islands came into view.

There are four islands in the Renek chain. The one they had landed at, Orthos, was the largest and touristy, its most defining feature was the large visitor's center dominating the south half of the island. Beyond it was a huge expanse of grass and beach, interrupted only by paths, both man- and Pokémon-made, as well as the occasional wild Shellback, a rare Pokémon only found on this island and nowhere else. In the background, they could see the other three islands of the chain. Indas, with its lush forests, Roshas with its rough mountains, and the sharp spire of Arkon jutting out the ocean.

A rough push from behind by one of the impatient passengers broke the spell on the group, and they proceeded quickly down the ramp onto the island, Mike glancing around grumpily at all of the stares.

"Argh! They're still looking at me!" he groaned, his face twisted in annoyance.

"I know. It's actually starting to get on my nerves," muttered Julie, her face dark.

Ricko looked up at them, amused, and then said, "Hey, I know! Why don't we just leave them behind, go to the less populated part of the island?"

"Hey, that might work!" cried Julie, growing excited as Mike translated, but he was shaking his head.

"No, we can't, the uninhabited part of the island is off-limits, something about 'nature conservation,'" he said, and Julie's face fell. Watching this, an idea came into Cyprus' head, and, with some apprehension, he said, "Another island. We could go to another island." He stopped as he realized that everyone was staring at him, Julie and Mike with looks of amazement on their faces, and Ricko with a slight smirk of satisfaction twisting his beak. Eventually, Mike managed to stutter, "You… you can talk? But I… well… I mean… sure, I guess we could try another island."

Julie smiled at Cyprus then, and he felt a warm feeling course through him, and he smiled as well, as she said, "Of course! That's a great idea! Ricko can fly us there, and no one will notice." Cyprus' smile widened, and he said, "Well, why not go to Indas? We obviously can't go to Arkon, and I like the forest. It reminds me of home." The others agreed, and they climbed up onto Ricko's smooth back, Cyprus riding on Julie's shoulder, as he lifted off into the air, flying towards the lush, green island of Indas.

After a few minutes, they came to the edge of the island, and Ricko landed in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. As they did so, Cyprus, looking around at the wild Pokémon moving softly through the forest, felt a sudden excitement fill his body, and he transformed into a Mankey, leaping off of Julie's shoulder and swinging around the clearing, screeching happily as the others watched him, laughing at his antics. The rest of the day passed in contentment, with Mike and Ricko training and goofing off with the wild Pokémon and Cyprus and Julie watching and enjoying themselves. As it began to get dark, they stopped their activities briefly to set up the tents for the night. As the twin prisms were slowly erected by the two humans, Ricko and Cyprus built a fire, Ricko collecting sticks and grass and Cyprus, transformed into a Vulpix he had seen once in the forest back home, lit them lazily. They finished quickly, and as they waited for the others, Ricko turned towards Cyprus, and said, "Hey Cyprus, I'm glad you spoke up today. I think Mike thought you must've been mute! Ah, the expression on his face was priceless, wasn't it?" he asked, and Cyprus nodded in agreement. Ricko smirked at the two humans, continuing, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you, about you and Julie's time alone together…" but stopped as the sound of someone approaching reached their ears. They stiffened, and turned towards the source of the noise, across the fire and away from the tents. Julie and Mike, having weaker hearing and preoccupied with the tents, had just finished their work when they noticed the actions of the Pokémon. Mike stepped forward, asking, "What is it?" when his question was answered in the form of a pair of figure stepping out of the trees towards them.

Cyprus blinked looking at them, and casually moved closer to and in front of Julie, not liking the looks of things. One of the two, the one out in front and obviously the one in charge, was human. He was large, with a thick set jaw and short, cropped brown hair. He wore a brown shirt with a dark leather coat, and dark colored jeans. At his waist was a thick belt, with a number of minimized Pokéballs attached to it, and he had thick black boots with the laces tied in a professional, almost military, fashion. The feature that caught Cyprus' attention was his eyes. In the waning sunlight and the glow from the fire, he could tell that they were unusual, with black irises and an intense stare, directly at him, and it was with difficulty that he managed to wrench his gaze away to look at his companion. Once he did so, however, he was very glad he did. The one accompanying this strange male was a tall bipedal insect, with dull green, chitinous armor over its carapace, which consisted of two sections, a somewhat human-like upper section and an ant-like lower part. Attached to the lower section were two pale tan spheres, covered by sections of green, jagged armor, and extending below them were short, tan legs, ended by large, green-armored feed, each with three claws on the end. Sprouting from its back was a pair of wings, multi sectioned, with a thin green exoskeletal line running across the top. Its head was roughly triangular shaped, with three horns protruding from the top and a short, blunt muzzle coming out of the front, its beady eyes glaring malevolently at Cyprus. Its most distinguishing feature, however, was its arms, which consisted of long silver scythes, with green "arms" running along the top of them. All-in-all, it looked murderous.

Mike stepped forward, somewhat nervously, and asked, "Uh… what do you, err, want?" obviously unnerved by the way the firelight flickered off of the Scyther's scythes.

The man said nothing, glanced briefly around at the group, then his gaze returned to Cyprus. To his Pokémon, he said, "Yes. These are the ones we want. Kill the humans and the Skarmory. Leave the Ditto."

Immediately, before any of them could react or his words could sink in, the Scyther moved, rushing towards Mike. It seemed to go right past him, its scythes raised, then stopped and turned around looking back at the group. As Cyprus watched in horror, Mike, his eyes wide in surprise and his mouth slightly open, staggered slightly and fell to his knees, before he collapsed, and his head, cleanly sliced off and leaking blood, rolled away from his body.

Sickened, Cyprus turned away to look at the Scyther, and his horror and fear seemed to melt away, to be replaced by the same bestial anger he had felt long ago, when he had seen Mike and Julie kissing. This time however, he didn't fight to suppress it, and it grew, filling him up and forcing the sorrow and shock out. He transformed, glowing white and shifting in shape, becoming taller and more fierce looking, before the light faded and he stood, facing the Scyther as its twin, alike in every way, down to the expression of intense hatred on his face. He tensed, and time to slow down as his new Agility came into effect. His concentration focused, his sight zoned in on his enemy, blocking out all else, Julie's screams and Ricko's angry cries, focusing solely on the opponent, who appeared to be doing the same.

Then, he sped towards the other Scyther, who imitated him, and furiously swung his scythes at the other, wanting only to kill this intruder, who dared to intrude upon his pack. The other Scyther, being more experienced, easily blocked his reckless swing, and pushed his scythes away, countering with a quick slice toward Cyprus' neck. Luckily, he saw it coming, but the murderer was so fast he barely had time to hurriedly shift backwards, receiving a shallow scratch on the soft tan portion connecting his head and body. He paused, realizing just how good of a fighter this enemy was, then rushed forward again and swung up high from the left with one scythe. The other blocked him easily, but Cyprus, foreseeing this, quickly swing his other arm toward his unguarded right leg, slicing through the connecting portion and cleanly cutting the foot off. The enemy roared in pain and fury, and collapsed, his stump of a leg oozing a stick, yellow substance Cyprus assumed was blood, while the foot rolled off down a slight incline in the ground, coming to rest near Mike's tent. Cyprus, seeing his opponent downed, swooped forward, intending to slice through the thin segment between the two body sections. However, the other Scyther was still conscious, and skilled, and as Cyprus' scythe came down, he rolled over quickly, so that it swung harmlessly into the grass, and aimed a blow of his own at Cyprus' own leg. Hurriedly, Cyprus jumped, dodging the blade but landing hastily, tripping and falling to land by the murderer, who swung again at him. Cyprus flung his free scythe up, blocking and pushing back the other's weapon, then wrenched his other arm out of the ground and rolled over, swinging his freed arm toward the other's neck, and cleanly slicing through, ending the fight.

He groaned and sat up, looking towards where the man had been. Instead, he saw a shadowy form running off into the trees, pursued by a very angry Skarmory, yelling, "Damn you! You killed him! I'll be back for you, Ditto!"

Cyprus shorted in derision, when he remembered the other two members of his group. He quickly turned towards the body of Mike, his friend, and saw Julie, slumped over his inert form, weeping. As he walked slowly over to her, he began to make out her soft cries, mumbling, "No… no… fuck no… why?… he… he's dead… no… he can't be dead!... no…"

As her ramblings reached his ears, Cyprus stopped, his anger draining, to be replaced with pain and sorrow, both for Mike and for Julie's pain. Her heart-wracking sobs pierced his ears, and traveled deep inside him, stopping at his heart. There, hearing his loved one cry, and feeling the sting of a friend, something broke inside. He gasped, transforming back into his original form, and collapsed, shaking, upon the ground. There, unnoticed by Julie, who was still sobbing over the corpse, he began to glow with a soft, white light, similar to his transformations, but softer, purer. Slowly, his form began to change, growing larger, sprouting two pairs of arms and legs, and at the top a head pushed out of the rapidly growing orb of his body. Then, the glowing faded, and he got up, shaky, and walked over toward Julie, resting his hand on her shoulder, wishing nothing more than to comfort her. She gasped and turned around, then shrank back at the figure before her. In front of her was a naked human, a teenager, with long, skinny limbs and medium-length black hair. She shifted away from him, crouching over Mike protectively, and then looked up at his face. His small mouth was twisted in confusion, and his medium-sized nose was slightly upturned, but his deep, green eyes were looking straight into hers, filled with deep sorrow and compassion, and she gasped, realizing who she was looking at.

"Cyprus?"

He nodded, and pulled her into a close embrace, her head on his shoulder, still sobbing.

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A/N: Well, there you go. The exposition is finally over, and I can start getting to the actual important parts of the story. As far as this chapter goes, I'm rather happy with it. I really like my Scyther description, and I feel content with Cyprus' "transformation." The fight I think could be much better (I think it's a little weak), but it'll do for now. Mike's death seems a little hurried to me, but like the fight scene, it'll do. Please, if you have any comments on this exciting chapter, review and tell me what you think. It's very nice to get reviews, and they really do motivate me to get to work. Really. Just sayin'.


	6. Chapter 5 The Aftermath

A/N: Hey there! It's me, Ramenlord! I have finally emerged from the dark pit of school, procrastination, writer's block, computer failure, depression, and the incredible time-suck that is the holidays, and I am happy to say that, through a mix of procrastination, logical thought, and denial, I am victorious! Seriously though, sorry for the massive disappearance. I hope that this chapter, though short, will help you to forgive me... As always, vote in my profile poll, review, and please enjoy...

Disclaimer: See Prologue

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Chapter 5- The Aftermath

Groaning slightly, consciousness returned to Cyprus. Cold… he felt cold. Why? With a slight grunt he sat up blearily, then realized the unusualness of this action for his usually blob-shaped body. Blinking rapidly, he looked down, surveying himself warily to see… a human? He was a human, something supposedly impossible for a Ditto to become. And not only that, but it felt… normal. Every other time he transformed into something other than his true form, he felt drained, as if his unstable molecules yearned to return to their previous state. Nothing serious, but it just wasn't quite natural. Yet, as a human, he felt just as comfortable as a Ditto. How strange. A soft sound to his left broke his train of thought, and he looked down to the ground beside him, simultaneously recognizing his surroundings as the tent Julie and Mike had put up the day before. As his vision traveled down to the object lying next to him, he froze, his eyes widening as memory came rushing back.

The strangers… Mike… the fight with the Scyther… and then…

_ She gasped and turned around, then shrank back at the figure before her. In front of her was a naked human, a teenager, with long, skinny limbs and medium-length black hair. She shifted away from him, crouching over Mike protectively, and then looked up at his face. His small mouth was twisted in confusion, and his medium-sized nose was slightly upturned, but his deep, green eyes were looking straight into hers, filled with deep sorrow and compassion, and she gasped, realizing who she was looking at._

_ "Cyprus?"_

_ He nodded, and pulled her into a close embrace, her head on his shoulder, still sobbing._

_They held one another in this way for a moment, and then Cyprus pulled her back to face him. He said, cautiously, "Julie? Are- are you all right?"_

_ Still sobbing, she nods, unable to speak. She looks up at his face, and the pain in her expression tears into his soul. The two locked gazes, and connect for a moment in mutual torment, closer to one another than they had ever been before. Unfortunately, this does not help their pain, and the loss they felt continued to build, until Cyprus, unable to stand it any longer, did the one thing he could think of to feel better._

_ He leaned over and kissed Julie on the lips._

_ The kiss was short, and Cyprus, realizing what he was doing, broke away, moving back a step, staring at Julie in horror at what he had done. She stood, stone still, staring off into space, a look of shock etched onto her face. Then, slowly, she turned her gaze to Cyprus, the same surprised visage seemingly imprinted upon her features. Then slowly, uncertainly, she stepped forward, moving toward Cyprus. As she neared him, her face moved slightly; her eye twitched, only once. As she reached him, slowly, deliberately, she reached up, clasped her hands around Cyprus' neck, brought down his head, and pressed her lips to his. Surprised, Cyprus paused, then did the same, the two pressed against one another, performing the one act capable of distracting them from the body, still lying a few feet away._

_ To Cyprus, the kiss was wonderful, incredible, and every time it seemed to lag, the pain, which had melted away upon contact, threatened to pour in, causing him to reinforce the melding, and he felt Julie doing the same. Slowly, as the feelings inside of the two rose, the pair, guided by an instinct far beyond either one's understanding, shifted backward, moving slowly, ever so slowly, toward the tent beside them, to the warmth and softness of the sleeping bags within. As they did so, Cyprus' hands moved up under Julie's shirt and slid up… and up… until…_

"Julie! Cyprus!"

Jumping slightly, Cyprus broke out of his memory, spinning around to see the flap of the tent opening, to reveal the steely head of Ricko. As the metallic vulture glanced around, his eyes widened. He turned to Cyprus, yelling "Who the HELL are you!"

Panicked at the look on Ricko's face, Cyprus stuttered, "I- Ricko, it- it's me, Cyprus!"

Ricko blinked, confused. "But, wait, Cyprus? I- How did you-," Then, Ricko's gaze fell upon Julie, lying by Cyprus' side. Naked.

"You- You BASTARD!" he yelled, taking a menacing step toward him. "How could you?! Mike dies, and two seconds later you're FUCKING HIS GIRLFRIEND?!"

"I- I- No!" cried Cyprus, turning red. "We just-"

"Shut up. Just shut up," said Ricko, turning away from him. "I'll be outside. Come when you're presentable."

He left the tent, and Cyprus groaned, sinking his head into his hands. It was at this point that he felt a hand settle lightly on his shoulder, and turning, he noticed Julie, sitting white-faced on the ground, her expression a combination of pity and remorse. Sighing, he turned away from her, saying only, "You'd better get dressed. Ricko's waiting outside."

She nodded, then, hesitantly, she said, "You- you could wear Mike's clothes. If you want…"

Cyprus glanced over at Mike's pack lying on the ground and shuddered. He couldn't bring himself to wear the clothes of his dead friend. Instead, an idea came to him, and with a simple thought, he transformed the outer part of this new form into clothes. A simple gray tunic, form-fitting and not very comfortable, but it would do. He didn't really feel he deserved comfort at the moment.

Sighing, he glanced up, and joined Julie, fully clothed and waiting by the entrance to the tent. Together, the pair moved out into the sunshine, preparing to face the fury of a Skarmory's wrath.

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A/N: Ooh, he's in trouble! Sorry if this wasn't the most exciting chapter ever, and if you read what I said on my profile before, that did not come to pass... :( Still, I have regained my inspiration for this story, so expect at least somewhat frequent(ish) updates.

Ramenlord out.


	7. Chapter 6 Diverging Paths

A/N: Well, that was quick. Hey, guess what, I actually uploaded two chapters in the same month! Crazy! Anywho, I didn't really have anything else to do today, so I went and finished writing this. Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: See prologue.

Chapter 6- Diverging Paths

As Cyprus emerged from the tent, he glanced around, wary. Julie came out behind him, and he caught sight of Ricko, standing of by the forest, his back to them. Wincing slightly, Cyprus and Julie made their way over to him, and, without turning around, he growled,

"He got away."

Slightly surprised, and expecting worse, Cyprus blinked, and replied, "He… got away? You mean… the murderer?"

Ricko spun around violently, and Cyprus and Julie jumped back a few inches.

"Of course I mean the Legend-damned murderer!" he yelled, his face and tone clearly furious. "Not that I should really be surprised," he continued, his tone turning bitter, "Seeing as you couldn't even keep Mike in mind for more than a few seconds before betraying him."

Cyprus could not logically refute this fact without making himself look even worse, so instead asked, "How did he escape?"

"I don't know. I was chasing him, and then… he disappeared."

Confused, Cyprus tilted his head, and asked, "Disappeared? Like, teleported?"

Ricko sighed, his head drooping, and for a moment, the anger in his face faded, to be replaced by an immense weariness. "I don't know. One minute he was there, the next he wasn't."

At this point, Julie, unable to understand half of the conversation, interrupted, saying, "Wait, you mean… he get away? But… well, can't we, I don't know, track him or something? We can't just let him get away!"

Ricko's head raised to look at Julie, and his face hardened again. "Feel free. But don't expect me to stick around." Here his gaze returned to Cyprus, and he continued, "I just wanted to tell you he's gone. And so am I."

And with that final statement, he turned around and flew away.

With a groan, Cyprus swooped down and collapsed on the beach, exhausted. Julie, her face wan and pale, climbed off of his back and sat down beside him as he transformed back into his human form. Three days. Three days since Ricko had left them. Three days since happiness had left them.

The first day had passed quickly, packing up their supplies, cleaning up after the fight, sitting and staring at a smooth, round rock, clumsily placed over a small mound of disturbed dirt…

The next day, they had left the island, flying for the island of Lairen, to the north, with a Skarmory-formed Cyprus as the form of conveyance. The flight had taken all day, and when they had landed, they checked into the Pokémon Center and slept, not saying a word.

The third day was similar, this time flying for the western coast of the mainland. And now they were here. Indeed, they were right on schedule. Without two members of their party.

Sighing, Cyprus stood up, and Julie stood with him. Without a word, the two set off, heading Eastward.

Homeward.

So why did it feel so unlike home?

Grimacing, Cyprus closed his eyes for a moment, and sighed. The answer was all too obvious. Change. Every aspect of his life had changed from that happy, innocent time to now. A friend lost. An enemy gained. A friendship lost. A relationship gained. Sort of.

He glanced over at Julie. Her face was dead-set on the path in front of her, her expression vacant, lost. Shaking his head slightly, he wondered if he had even gained that much. True, they had mated, but only that once, under extreme duress…

She seemed to sense his gaze, and she turned her head toward him, looking at him blankly. He smiled at her, and her lips twitched, as she was trying to return the gesture, then she let out a small sigh, and turned away. Sighing himself, Cyprus turned away. She hadn't spoken a word since Ricko left them, and Cyprus was beginning to get worried. He was hoping that the sight of the forest would cheer her up. They ought to reach the outskirts of Shadowmold by nightfall, and the next day they would be in Shadehome. From there it was short walk back to Julie's house. A short, lonely walk.

The pair continued on in silence, both consumed by inner thoughts and guilt, both desiring conversation, but unable to speak. Eventually, cresting a small hill, they came within view of the forest, and Cyprus looked up, waiting for the swaying branches and softly rustling leaves to bring back that feeling of calm he so pleasantly remembered. The branches came into view, and yet their subtle movements now seemed strange, forbidding. He strained to hear the soft sounds of leaves falling, yet now their whispering seemed ominous, accusing. He fell to his knees, horror flooding his mind.

He no longer belonged here.

He snorted, anger crossing his face. Of course, what did he expect? Why would he belong here? He wasn't even a Pokémon anymore! Bitterly, he looked down at his hands, so strange, bony. This form, once so desired, now seemed a curse. It wasn't right. Of course, he could transform back into a Ditto whenever he wanted, but… somehow, it wasn't right anymore. His true form was no longer true for him. Instead, he was this… this thing, a mockery of nature, neither human nor Pokémon, but a sickening combination of both. And when he had finally brought himself to change back, he had found to his horror that his mild pink coloring, unique to only him and his sister, was gone, changed into a sickly green color, the color of mold, or other… less pleasant things. Horrified, he had changed back to a human shape, shuddering while Julie put her arms around him, saying nothing.

There were no words to be said.

The next morning the pair set off through the forest, still locked in silence. Eventually they reached the part of the forest that was familiar, letting them know they were nearly to Shadehome. Here, Julie stopped, and grasped Cyprus's arm. He turned to look at her, confused. She paused, staring down at the ground, then up at Cyprus. At first hesitantly, then more confidently, she said, "Cyprus... I just wanted to say thank you... for staying with me all this time. And for what you did with me the night Mike died. I know I've been a little... quiet the last few days, but don't blame yourself for what happened. No matter what Ricko said, Mike is gone. We can move on. I'm not saying that we should forget about him, but... that you're a good friend, and a good boyfriend, if you still feel that way about me. So please, don't beat yourself up about what happened. Perhaps it wasn't the most... tactful thing to do, but that doesn't make it any less the right thing to do. I love you, and I don't want you to think we made a mistake by doing what we did. Alright?" She smiled at him, a timid, uncertain smile, something unusual for her.

Cyprus stared down at her, surprised. "You- you... love me? But... I... well... I love you too." He fell silent, not able to think of anything else to say. Julie, upon hearing his less than explanatory response, sighed slightly, then turned away walking toward Shadehome, and Cyprus followed suit. When the two entered the town, they headed for the Pokémon Center, neither feeling up to walking back to Julie's empty house right now. A few of Julie's friends from the PokéMart noticed her, and called out, wondering where Mike was or who the strange boy walking nest to her was, but she ignored them, not feeling like explaining at the moment. She would have to talk to them sometime, particularly if she wanted her job back, but she didn't think she could face up to them just then. The two entered the center, and Julie walked over to the counter to get a room. As she did that, Cyprus stopped, looking over at a poster on the wall that caught his eye. He walked over to it, and stood there, staring at it. It was an advertisement for the Pokémon league, inviting trainers to take the Gym Challenge, with a picture of the Elite Four, surrounded by the eight badges, performing a pose. As he looked at it, he couldn't help but think of Mike, who had so often stared up at this poster, a look of mixed hope and determination on his face. It had been his dream to meet the Elite Four, and now...

Slowly, a single tear dropped down from his face hitting the floor below. Julie, now finished with her task, noticed him standing there, and walked over. When she saw the poster, her expression clouded, and Cyprus could tell she was close to tears as well. Sighing, he took her arm, and the pair walked back into the housing area of the center, moving into their room and closing the door. Once inside, Julie's tears were relinquished, and, sobbing, she said, "It- it's just not fair. All he wanted was to become the champion, and now... now..." Her last words were accompanied by a renewed outburst of tears, and Cyprus put his arm around her shoulders, not saying anything. What was there to say? Her words were true, Mike would never be able to accomplish his dream. He hadn't lived to see the day when he would become Champion. Suddenly, an idea came to Cyprus. A crazy, potentially wonderful idea. Mike would never become the champion, but...

"Julie, I have an idea." Slowly, she stopped sobbing, and looked up at him, confused. "I know that it's horrible that Mike can never become the Champion, but maybe... maybe... you could do it for him."

At these words, her eyes widened, her expression one of surprise. "I- what? But... I don't have any Pokémon... and I'm no good at battle strategies, or training techniques... how am I supposed to do that?"

Cyprus shrugged, then said, "Well, you've got me. I'm a Pokémon... sort of, and I can help you with the other stuff. Besides, you could head down to Exodus, and get a starter there. They usually know a lot of stuff about battling and things, that's why they give them to beginners."

"But, aren't I a little old to be getting my starter Pokémon? I mean, usually people do that at around ten years old."

Again, Cyprus shrugged. "Yeah, but there's not really a rule about it. Besides, that didn't stop Mike."

Julie make a speculative noise, and looked off into space, and Cyprus could see she was starting to consider it. He hoped she'd say yes. The two needed something to distract themselves, and if Julie had another friend, maybe he could get around to do something he had been meaning to do before they had left. Julie pondered for a moment, then turned back toward Cyprus. "I'll do it. We'll head down to Exodus, find Professor Pine, and get a started. Then we'll head back to my place, where we can get some more supplies, and we can stay there for a few days, just to rest up. After that, we'll head out for the Gyms, and from there, the League." Cyprus smiled; she said yes. Now for the tricky part.

"Alright, that sounds good, but I have something I want to ask you. If it would be alright with you, I won't be accompanying you to Exodus."

Julie, who had been getting something to eat out of her pack, froze. "You... you're not coming? But.. you said you'd help me..."

Quickly, Cyprus began to explain. "No, I'm still coming with you on your journey. It's just... well... while you go to Exodus to meet the Professor, I wanted to... visit someone. My sister." Julie looked up at him, surprised.

"Your... you have a sister?"

"Yeah. She lives not too far from that clearing, the one with the big tree. I haven't talked to her since the day after I met you, and I wanted to let her know what's happened."

"Oh. Um... well, sure, you can go meet her. I... I guess I'll meet you back at my house then."

Seeing the disappointed look on her face, Cyprus quickly said, "Look, how about this. Three weeks from now, I'll meet you at the clearing. Okay."

Julie hastily composed her face into a smile, and said, "Sure," but Cyprus could tell she wasn't thrilled with the idea. Still, he did want to see his sister, and she would forgive him later. He hoped.

The next day, the two said their farewells, and headed off in different directions, Julie south, and Cyprus east, each awaiting their destinations with both excitement and apprehension in equal amounts. As Cyprus saw Julie's brown hair disappear into the trees, he hoped she would be alright, then chided himself for worrying too much. After all, it was a pretty short distance to Exodus, and three weeks wasn't all that long of a time.

What could happen?

A/N: Man, that was a hard chapter to write. Lots of emotive dialogue. Not much real action, but now I've got much of the actual story set up. Plus there's gonna be a new character next chapter, and more the one after next! Hooray! I'm not really sure if I managed to actually make that seem realistic, so please review and tell me what worked/didn't work in this emotionally intense chapter. Remember, the more you review, the better this story will be in the end, so if you would please spare a minute or two to tell me what you liked and didn't like, or even just to comment of something that went on in this chapter, I would be much obliged. Not to mention reviews really do make me more motivated to write, so the next update will be up even quicker if you do.

Ciao.


	8. Chapter 7 Siblings

A/N: Hey, chapter 7 here! First thing I want to say is that, from now on, I think I'm gonna try and keep most of the A/N stuff at the bottom, so you can get to the story as quickly as possible, and don't have to listen to all my excuses, etc. each time, so...

Disclaimer: See Prologue

* * *

Chapter 7- Siblings

In a small forest clearing, a Pidgey lay sleeping, its head tucked under its wing, its tiny chest rising and falling softly in time to its gentle breaths. Slowly, the sun broke over the horizon, and as its gentle rays fell across the sleeping bird's feathers, it stirred sleepily, unfolding its body and preparing for the day ahead. Then-

"Are you CRAZY?!"

The yell broke the silence like a gunshot, and the startled Tiny Bird Pokémon took flight, as two figures emerged from a small hole in the ground under a tall pine tree. The first, a small pink blob with beady pink eyes, crawled forward, a dreamy look on its face. Shortly after it followed another, seemingly identical pink blob, differing only in the outraged expression on its face as it hurried forward and reached out and appendage to pull the other around, so they were face to face.

"What are you thinking? You barely know this girl! And now you want to go on Pokémon Journey with her? I repeat, are you crazy?!" The second Ditto questioned, its face incredulous. "Have you even heard what they do to Pokémon? They stick you in a little ball, and carry you around everywhere, and never let you out to find a mate, or **anything**! Is that really what you want?!"

The other Ditto looked over at her, its expression changing to one of annoyance, and replied, "Look, Julie's not like that, she's my friend! And anyway, she's not a trainer, her boyfriend is. Sh- **WE**'re just along for the ride."

Exasperated now, the first speaker let out a dramatic sigh, and said, "Come ON, listen to yourself! You're talking like one of THEM, for Mew's sake. Giving up all of your opportunities for her, and what's she mean to you anyway? She's just a human! You can't even mate with them, why do you like hanging around with her so much?"

Much to the angry Ditto's dismay, however, their angry words seemed to do little to discourage the rebellious one, who replied, with a grin on its face, "Look, you wouldn't understand. When I'm with her I just… I dunno. I just like being around her, that's all."

"WHAT! What do you mean, I 'wouldn't understand'? I'm your sister! We… we're the same… together… always…" Slowly, her face began to fall, and a solitary tear dropped from her eye, hitting the soil with a muted 'splish.' As the other watched this emotional display, he hesitated, shifting slightly toward her, before his face hardened, and he turned away. Despairingly, she watched him go, and as he left, the light seemed to darken, and he grew faint, seeming to shrink into the blackness. As he disappeared, she cried out "Wait! Don't go!" but her words seemed dull, muted, and slowly, everything faded away…

She awoke with a start, breathing heavily, then groaned as she sank back onto the floor. The same dream in three nights. Or the same memory. Sighing, she got up and moved off of the mat of leaves she used for a bed, crawling wearily towards the entrance to their- no, her- den. As she neared the main tunnel, she paused momentarily, and sighed. Man, even after all these months, she still couldn't get him out of her head. She still wondered what he was doing, where he was… Probably dead. Or rotting away in a Pokéball somewhere. Then she snorted and let out a short cynical chuckle. Or he was just out having the time of his life while _she_ rotted away in this hole. Groaning slightly, she moved up the main tunnel and out the hole, glancing around at the clearing. Well, no reason to dwell on the past. He's gone now, so I'd better get on with today. What's to eat?

With this thought in mind, she set off for a what had appeared to be a grove of Rabuta Berry Bushes that she had seen from the nest of a Spearow while they had been engaged in… other activities. She grinned. He had been pretty strong, she had to give him that. And that _beak_! Her smile broadened as she remembered, and she pushed through a clump of ivy to what proved to indeed be a patch of Rabuta Bushes. Well, this day was just getting better and better! She loved Rabuta berries. Heck, maybe she would try and find that Spearow again. Even if she couldn't, she was sure to find _someone_, and that proved to make her day a little more interesting. Indeed, things were definitely looking up.

Of course, it wasn't really like she was doing anything new. To be perfectly honest, today's schedule was almost exactly the same as the day before's, and the day before that's. Indeed, she hadn't really done anything radically different since before-

Before…

Quickly she shook her head, barring that particular train of thought. No need to think about him. None at all. Nope, nothing wrong with her life as it was. Indeed, her life had improved since he'd left. No more crazy schemes that ended up almost getting them both killed, no more insane all-night-stands to see who could balance on a tree branch for the longest, no more crazy parties with tons of wild Pokémon…

Once again, she shook her head vigorously to clear her head of the memories, but it was no use. She couldn't deny it: she missed him. Terribly. Sighing, she softly whispered to herself, "Oh brother, where are you?"

Later that night, a solitary Ditto moved over to entrance to her den, sighing and exhausted. She'd gotten what she'd wanted; she'd found the Spearow, and he'd been game for another go. Indeed, it had been just as good as the last time. So why did she feel so… dissatisfied? Truthfully, she was pretty sure she knew why, but she didn't feel like admitting it, so she just muttered some excuse about fatigue, and decided to turn in. She didn't really think she had the heart for a late night liaison tonight.

Slowly, wearily, she oozed into her den, making her way toward her bed. Then she stopped.

_Someone was in her sleeping chamber!_

Slowly, suspiciously, she peeked around the corner, and saw…

Sitting on the sleeping mat in his old home, Cyprus shifted uncomfortably. Jeez, when was she gonna get home? Then again, if his days here before were any indicator, he probably still had at least a few hours before his sister would be back. She'd always been a night Noctowl, they both had. He let out a shaky breath, and looked around the small room for the fiftieth time. Man, it sure was _weird_ to be back here again. For one thing, after staying in human-sized conditions for so long, it seemed so… so… _small_! Plus she'd redecorated. He looked back down at where his sleeping mat had been and winced. Man, she must've been mad, to go to all the trouble to get all of those leaves out of there. He sighed, and hoped she wasn't still angry with him. Still, he doubted it. His sister wasn't really one to hold a grudge. Not much really affected her for more than a few days or so.

At least, he hoped so.

Sighing once again, he settled down to wait. Then, he heard something. Quickly he spun around, looking over at the entrance to the chamber. There, he could see something, no, some**one**, peering around the corner at him. Someone pink, with beady black eyes.

"Sis!"

The figure recoiled, moving away from him slightly, so he moved forward, crying, "Sis! It's me, your brother!"

Immediately she stopped, and squinted at him suspiciously. Then,

"Bro- brother? But… what happened to you? Why are you… green? And where-" but she was cut off as Cyprus ran up to her and hugged her tightly, his form enveloping her completely. After a moment, she returned the hug, then the two broke apart, both grinning broadly. Cyprus's sister was the first to speak, saying,

"Man, is it good to see you. Great, in fact. But what happened? Why did you come back? Where's… What'sherface? And why the hell are you GREEN?!"

Cyprus winced and shifted uncomfortably. He'd hoped she wouldn't ask him until later. "Well, it's a long story…"

When he finished, he leaned back, apprehensive. His sister's face was inscrutable. He had to wait for a moment longer before she spoke.

"…How was the sex?"

Cyprus laughed, then replied, "Great. Best I've ever had."

The rest of the day passed in a blur, with the pair reminiscing and speculating on Cyprus's condition. The best they came up with was that something fundamental must have changed in his DNA, but neither had any great ideas concerning _what_ that change might be. Eventually, they called it a night and went to sleep, sharing the one remaining mat.

The next morning, she awoke before him. Yawning, she rose, looking around sleepily before her eyes settled on her brother's slumbering form on the mat next to her. Seeing him sleeping there, just like old times, she smiled, remembering. Ah, her brother. Almost as crazy as she was, and always willing to follow through on their misadventures. And kind too, always willing to lend a hand (or some kind of appendage) to those in need. Looking down at his face, she let out a contented sigh. Yes, he may be green, but he was definitely still her brother. As she watched, he began to stir, and slowly opened his eyes, yawning. He looked up at her and grinned.

"Morning, Sis."

"Good morning."

Slowly, he got up and yawned again, stretching out his body. As she looked him over, an idea came to her mind. A way to give her brother a real good welcome home…

Cyprus sighed, content. At long last, he was home. Sitting outside their den, staring out into the shifting foliage of their forest home. His sister had left a while ago to go collect some berries, so he was waiting here for her to get back. As he waited, his mind drifted to Julie, and, slowly, his grin faded. He wondered where she was right now. She would probably be in Exodus by sundown, so she was probably somewhere en route. He felt a sudden stab of guilt, thinking about her out traveling the paths, all alone. He sighed, and his head drooped to stare at the ground. Really, he should be there for her. What with her boyfriend dying, and all these strange new experiences, he was worried about her. Not to mention that that evil man who killed Mike was still out there! Sitting there thinking and worrying, it was with great unease that he heard the sound of his sister coming back toward him through the foliage.

She wasn't alone.

* * *

A/N: Ok then, chapter 7. I'm not really all to happy with how it came out, and I wanted it to go longer, but it was getting pretty long already, and it had quite a bit to go, so... yeah. What'd'you think about Cyprus's sister? Likey? No likey?

As to why this chapter took so long to get up... well... a couple of reasons, one legit, one not so much. The less good one is that I get really easily ditracted. In fact, I had this done quite a while ago, but, for a number of reasons, hadn't uploaded it yet. X/ Also, I've been obsessing over pokedex completion for a while, which I'm actually rather close on, and have been playing my Japanese HeartGold for a while. So, yeah. The better excuse I have is rather self-evident: I posted a new story! I like it a lot, and I wanted to get both done so I could double post, so that delayed me too. Overall, I'm just not that reliable of an author, and that's not all too likely to change, seeing as I now have two ongoing stories, and yesterday I got SoulSilver and Final Fantasy XIII, which are both awesome. Sry guys.


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